Leaves paired, petiolate, not restricted to new growth at apex of branches; blades chartaceous or occasionally coriaceous; leaves subtending lateral branches often smaller and broader than main leaves; stipules interpetiolar, lanceolate to ovate or triangular at the base and acuminate to linear above, never keeled, never with white silky hairs inside.

Calyx tube ellipsoid to ovoid; limb equalling or sometimes exceeding the tube in length, repand to dentate or less often lobed.

Corolla

Corolla white, cream or yellow; tube cylindrical, usually ± equal to lobes, sometimes shorter or rarely longer, typically with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes reflexed, often thickened at apex but never apiculate.

Stamens

Stamens set at the throat of the corolla; filaments moderately well-developed; anthers fully or partly exserted but usually not reflexed, narrowly ovate or oblong.

Gynoecium

Style long slender, ± twice as long as the corolla tube; pollen presenter cylindrical, distinctly longer than wide, hollow to below the apex, bifid at apex when mature.

Disc

Disk puberulous to pubescent or infrequently glabrous.

Ovary

Ovary 2-locular, each loculus containing 1 ovule attached to upper third of the septum.

Fruits

Fruit a 2-seeded drupe, slightly to strongly bilobed, somewhat laterally flattened, slightly to strongly indented at apex; pyrenes woody or less often cartilaginous, usually ± ovoid with the ventral face flattened, somewhat bullate; point of attachment on the ventral face above centre or near apex; lid-like area completely or incompletely defined, either lying along ventral face above point of attachment, or across the apex, provided with a central crest, eventually dehiscent.

Seeds

Seeds ± ovoid, shaped at apex according to position of lid-like area in pyrene, convoluted; endosperm streaked with tanniniferous areas (resembling a ruminate endosperm, except that the testa is never vaginated) occasionally with tannin granules ± evenly dispersed or less often absent; testa thin, very finely reticulate; embryo straight with radicle erect and small cotyledons lying parallel to ventral face of the seed.

Leaves paired, petiolate, not restricted to new growth at apex of branches; blades chartaceous or occasionally coriaceous; leaves subtending lateral branches sometimes smaller and broader than main leaves; stipules lanceolate to ovate or triangular at base and acuminate to linear above, never keeled, never with white silky hairs inside

Flowers

Flowers 4–6-merous, borne in pedunculate, usually distinctly branched cymes; bracts and bracteoles often conspicuous, Calyx-tube ellipsoid to ovoid; limb equalling or sometimes exceeding tube in length, repand to dentate or less often lobed

Corolla

Corolla white, cream or yellow; tube cylindrical, usually ± equalling lobes, sometimes shorter or rarely longer, typically with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes reflexed, often thickened at apex but never apiculate

Stamens

Stamens set at throat of corolla; filaments moderately well developed; anthers fully or partly exserted but usually not reflexed, narrowly ovate or oblong

Fruit a 2-seeded drupe, slightly to strongly bilobed, somewhat laterally flattened, slightly to strongly indented at apex, sometimes 1-seeded by abortion and asymmetrical; pyrenes woody or less often cartilaginous, usually ± ovoid with ventral face flattened, rugulose or somewhat colliculate; point of attachment on ventral face above centre or near apex; lid-like area completely or incompletely defined, either lying along ventral face above point of attachment or across apex, provided with a central crest, eventually dehiscent around circumference (fig. 132/25, 26, p. 754)

Seeds

Seeds ovoid, shaped at apex according to position of lid-like area in pyrene, convoluted; endosperm streaked with tanniniferous areas (resembling a ruminate endosperm, except that the testa is never invaginated) occasionally with tannin granules ± evenly dispersed or less often absent; testa thin, very finely reticulate; embryo straight with erect radicle and small cotyledons lying parallel to ventral face of seed (fig.131/25, p. 752).